Brisebois leaving job as Habs player development coach

Former Canadiens defenceman Patrice Brisebois is leaving his job as the Habs’ player development coach.

“It was Patrice’s decision to move on for family reasons,” said Donald Beauchamp, the team’s senior vice president, communications and community relations.

The 43-year-old Brisebois, who has two young daughters, worked mainly with the Canadiens’ defence prospects. He often travelled to work with them on site, such as in Hamilton where the team’s farm club is located.

Brisebois, who played 16 seasons with the Habs, was hired for the job in June 2012, a month after Marc Bergevin took over as the Canadiens’ general manager. Former NHLer Martin Lapointe was hired at the same time and named director of player development.

“I think I can teach them the things it takes to be a pro,” Brisebois told The Gazette’s Dave Stubbs soon after being named to the position. “When things are going very well, you don’t get too high. When things are going bad, you don’t get too low. These kids aren’t robots, they’re human beings.”

The Canadiens have yet to fill the vacancy left by the departure last month of assistant coach Gerard Gallant who was named head coach of the Florida Panthers.

Seriously. Like a USB breathalyzer. After 9pm (local) you have to blow below the legal limit to make purchases (and send text messages to a ‘restricted list’).

That Ian doesn’t have this thing set up on Paypal is the only reason I didn’t go: “Whatever, I’ve spent so much this week already, what’s another $100.00″ (Which, of course, turns into another $500+ once all the “intangibles” are sorted out… hotel, beverages, rail travel & grub).

Was sent $50 once, they deposited it in the wrong account and then told me they were deducting $37 and change to cover their charges. However I could use the remaining $12+ on my next purchase. After much futile arguments on my part and to no avail, told them in detail where they could store that $12 plus. Will never use their services again.

Seeking clarification on your assertion that this is a false dichotomy. Are you claiming in fact that Hot dogs and Hamburgers are the same thing, and therefor no choice can be made? Or are you assuming that no choice needs to be made between the two. The first option would strike me as absurd, the second one as situational and not applicable in all circumstances.

Thank you for the clarification. I have indeed been to BBQ’s hosted by deeply cheap individuals, that did require a choice on the subject, so in one sense it is situational. That point appears to be moot however, as I will no longer attend their BBQ’s, cheap bas*t**rds.

I think the Pens would primarily look for a winger+ if they moved Letang. The loss of Neal leaves a big hole there and the fact they couldn’t score during the playoffs, shows that as a primo-need.

They also lost Orpik and Niskanen, so the ‘+’ would be NHL vet defense. I don’t see them moving Letang. I understand why they’d consider it, but I don’t think it happens. His price tag makes me want to stay away. The loss of O & N means they need him.

BUT what I want to address is this line: after we told them to stop leering at Brendan Gallagher

I wouldn’t so much as bat an eye if MB traded him. I like Gallagher. He’s a hard worker. He’s a pain in the butt. He’s a decent 2nd liner. He’s pleasant and funny, but, he is by no means an untouchable in my book. I’d flip that guy in a (DECENT) deal without much thought. In fact, I think he’s got more value (‘intangibles’) than he’s actually worth. Potential to land a bigger fish, so to speak.

I know many here will think that this is sacrilegious to say, but it’s something that I’ve been thinking for around a year now. I like him, but I wouldn’t hesitate to include him in a trade.

If this whimsy could be expanded to a trichotomy, I opt for pastrami, especially from Katz’s Deli in Brooklyn. They hung a sign pointing to where a scene from “When Harry Met Sally” was filmed. Looked like Sally put on some weight over the years.

Wait and see time for management. Many teams will be jettisoning players at training camp and others will be trying to juggle players and the Cap. There may be a lot of activity trade-wise between September and opening night.

I think there is a holding pattern, everyone wants to count their cards see how things play out a little. I think he is in on a player on Patrick Sharp. Chicago will need to get cap compliant. He needs to get actual numbers for Eller and PK in the books first. MB likes big moves, he’s smooth, has a relationship, and teams like to trade out of conference. He’s not looking for camp jettisoned garbage.
Chicago will try to avoid it, and they are not in a rush.
If he can hit a home run, I think he is in. Otherwise I think he is done. I don’t think Chicago will want Bourque, they will want more cap relief and young cheap assets in return.

He likes cap flexibility and space to be able to trade with teams in a bind. I’m not saying it will happen, but I think this would be his play if it becomes available.

They are very likely to add another defender. He has shown he likes defensive depth a lot.

Send today, your self addressed stamped envelope with your money order, so I can send you your tickets back!!! (Canadian stamp) Courier is best! especially from USA! I will be cut off from ordering these special HIO game tickets on the 28th day of July.
I must receive your money order by the 28th.
Two different summit section prices! $83ea. or $105ea.

The Lone Habfan, dressed in an old Habs jersey, jeans and cowboy boots and topped off with a 2014 playoff terrible towel fashioned into a do-rag, wanders through the center of the old town. He is striding along the familiar HIO road. Strangely, the buildings he passes are boarded up with “Closed for the Summer” notes tacked onto the padlocked doors. A tumbleweed blows along, catching a hot summer breeze. A neon sign above- “Dog Daze”- blinks on and off, the electricity running it sounding like a buzzing fly. Even the saloon is shut down. He sighs and continues on.
Loose shutters slam shut and open again; there is no one about to fasten them.
The dirt beneath his boots crunches like dried up old bones that were picked clean by vultures long ago, like maybe last season. He looks down the road and sees heaps of refuse piled in the street. As the Lone Habfan gets close, he realizes he is seeing all the old live blogs, threads and comments from the past season all printed out into a giant pile. Despite all the discussions and well thought out comments, another year has gone by, and still no relief from the Cup drought. He shakes his head and sighs. A little disappointed, The Lone Habfan plods on, kicking up dust in the empty Main Street, his eyes firmly set on the Fall that is sure to come. He sighs again.

In the distance Toronto, the Lone Habfan’s taciturn sidekick, slowly makes his way toward the dusty, somnolent town. His world-weary face is creased with wrinkles carved out by a lifetime of pain following in the footsteps of the masked man.
His lips are parched, his nostrils achingly dry. How much longer will this Cup drought last, he asks himself, in an uncharacteristic flurry of words, before falling silent once again.
It was no good, this life he was living, being down at his heels.
Even if they are silver.

The wind whistles through street when they meet. It raises enough dust to cover the intrepid pair completely. They stand against a clapboard building, awaiting the wind’s convenience. When they do move on, the plastered dust leaves two silhouettes behind, mute witness to the silence about the town.
(Enrico Morricone music fills the air)

As they move out, the Lone Habfan suddenly stops and motions Toronto to do the same.
The paleskin — from all the dust — stoically obliges.
The masked man peers intently at his companion of many moons, saying nothing. Finally, he speaks:
“What in hell does kemo sabe mean anyway? And what have you done with Silver?“

T minus 4 days for Eller’s contract. 4 years after the trade, is it finally time for Eller to be that grinding 3rd line power center that gets about 40 points a season? Was the 30 points in that shortened season an anomaly? Will MB give him a 3 year deal broken down like this: $2mil, $2.5mil, $3mil? Or will it go to arbitration so the Habs can try to low ball him? What kind of performance can we expect from a 16 minute player who had revolving door linemates?

15 goals, 40 pts. Sounds about right.
Lars just has to play that grinding style he produced in the playoffs. Do that and you don’t have to score. You’ll be such a pain to play against you will earn yourself some nice coin.

IMO Eller is not worth more than 3.0 mil per year this time around. Yes he had a good playoff but he didn’t do much in the regular season having said that. I think if he had two good steady wingers he may surprise. I’m not overly impressed with him at the same time I haven’t given up on him. If he’s signed, I hope he’s gonna be worth it. Dead contracts can kill a team, we’ve been through that…

He will get somewhere around 3 mill for 2 years. Good deal for both sides. Eller has to show some consistency in his game. I don’t buy the line mates excuse, Eller’s success in the playoffs was because of Eller and not his line mates. MT Had him out there in pressure situations at key points in the game cause he was playing well. I hope he can build off that playoff performance and gain some confidence. I don’t ever think he will be a number 2 centre but should be a really strong 3rd line centre who can pot 15 to 18 goals a year.

I do buy the line mate excuse some what but like you said for sure he has to put some consistency in his game, at the same time he never knew who he was going to be playing along side and that’s a awful way to show up for a game. I’m sure on the way to the rink he must have been thinking. I’ll probably have Gallant on L/W and Therrien on R/W with me tonight anyway if he’s resigned I hope he does better. myself if I could do better with a trade, I’d make it happen. The better the lines, the better for the overall teams confidence…

Some people here who still think we should have Desharnais on our first line while questioning if Eller is a number 2 center really make me laugh. Eller is a number 2 center and easily capable of putting up 50 points with decent linemates and pp time. If Therrien keeps playing him on the third line most of the time he´ll never convince everyone.

Talking about a linemate excuse is ridiculous btw. Other than Crosby and a couple of others very few players in this league can produce on their own. That gets even tougher when you´re almost never on the PP. I can only imagine how bad DD would look without Pacioretty and PP time…

THANK-YOU GUYS SO VERY VERY MUCH ! for all your thoughts,and prayers and love every much apprieciated….alex is on a very long road to recovery he still has the blood clot in his head and the bacterial meningitis they found was called (strep) which is the worst you can get…. they said the long term prognonis is he might have permanent brain damage………. ! his progress is much better than it was he ate for the 1st time in 6 days prior he is up and cohereant…….. they said he will remain in the (calgary) alberta children’s hospital for 2 weeks then come home to regina and be in the hospital for 4-6 more weeks… i want to again thank very one from my hio family a very special thank-you my wife and i cried when we seen all the get well wishes and all the love and support alex had recieved from everyone on hear….we haven’t told alex yet and the amazing thing that ian cobb did for him by getting 2 tickets 2 that hio summit game nov 29th …..my wife really cried and said what a bunch of very special people on that site she told me to post regularly during the season….she said to do that for my boy who is fighting for his life and they show that much love for a little 13 yr old boy she said those people are absolutely amazing she cried tears of joy so did i guys! thank-you all so very much….

I have NEVER come away with any feeling of fear or depression after reading any of your updates. You have willed away the TORMENT of this illness with your affirming outreach toward the HUMAN SPIRIT of our little community.

There may be sadness in your thoughts, but NO FEAR! I see STRENGTH and LOVE AND GOD’S FORESIGHTFUL PROVIDENCE binding your family as you stand in resolve for Alex. I see GOD’S GRACE at work.

So…I have discovered that I’ve always been pompous and I’ve always been wordy. Somehow stumbled on some of my posts from the old alt.sports.hockey.nhl.mtl-canadiens newsgroup from my undergrad days. Good Lord.

And for those of you that think I only like soft players, I’ll give you more ammo: I used to regularly defend Patrice Brisebois and Vladimir Malakhov.

I always wondered where Gerry Warner, AJ Bassett, Earl Sibley, Lauri Tarkkonen and Ian Merrithew ended up. Stubbs joined that group after I fell off the wagon for a few years, and I wonder if that wasn’t the driving force behind Hockey Inside/Out. The online community in the newsgroup was great, at least from 1995-2000 when I was first lurking and then posting regularly.

I’m sure that I will look back on my posts on this site in 15-20 years and hang my head in shame again. I was a tanking advocate in 1998?!??

I’ve actually loved this year’s race, so far. The only unfortunate is that Nibali is so head and shoulders above the crowd, but I’m not entirely convinced that would have been any different even with Froome in the race.

Adding a cobblestone stage to the first week made things a lot more interesting. Two of the first 3 England stages were also not the usual sprint finishes that we see in Week 1. There have already been a couple of stages where echelons have broken out, and that is always an interesting wrinkle in a cycling race and one that forces the top riders to keep on their toes (and up front) when a heavy cross-wind is coming in.

From a racing perspective, the first 10 stages of this year’s Tour have been the most unpredictable in recent memory. I think they will look hard at this model and perhaps reduce the emphasis on being an elite climber to make the race more interesting. When Rasmussen was leading the 2007 Tour, I think things got to a head: the emphasis on climbing had become so large that even a rather limited all-rounder like Rasmussen could win the Tour (albeit while supercharged).

Regarding the name Red Blacks, I met Jeff Hunt at a local business chamber event, eggs and icons. He did a presentation and fielded questions. A significant portion of the presentation focused on the name. Here was Mr.Hunt’s response, based on my recollection;

Hunt told the audience that a fan approached him during the grey cup game in Toronto and suggested the name Red Blacks. That was the first time anyone brought the idea forward. He noted that they had a number of names, however there wasn’t a single name that garnered more than 1% of the vote when feedback was received. As a result he recognized that no matter what name was chosen, a significant percentage of the fan base would be opposed. He indicated that red blacks was a tribute to the traditional ottawa sporting colours. The blade around the name is representative of the lumber industry, which was a staple in the Ottawa Valley. Lastly, the mascot is named Joe. He was originally going to be Joe Muffera, but there was a tremendous amount of negative press surrounding this announcement, so they dropped the Muffera, but kept the costume.

In any event, I hope this helps to shed some light on the Red Black name and logo.

I approached reading the memoirs of Terry Ryan, titled “Tales of a First-Round Nothing: My Life as an NHL Footnote”, with eager anticipation. I heard about it through the book tour the author did prior to the release, and I looked forward to an illuminating read, shining a spotlight on the fallow period in the Canadiens history after the ’93 Stanley Cup, the dismissal of Serge Savard and Jacques Demers, and the inauguration of Réjean Houle and Mario Tremblay as the team’s General Manager and Head Coach respectively. I also expected some insight on the way the Canadiens supported the players they chose in the draft, and how they were coached in the minors.

Unfortunately, very few of the questions I had were answered, and the read was a disappointment, almost a slog to complete. There are many fundamental problems with it, first and foremost that Terry Ryan is not a talented writer, and not given to introspection beyond the general, ‘it is what it is’ and ‘I take full responsibility’ platitudes.

The author starts his tale in 1991, when his family moved from Newfoundland to Quesnel, B.C. so that he could be eligible for the WHL draft, his father feeling that was the right junior league for him. Mr. Ryan is fourteen years old but already a six-footer and 180 lbs., and plays Junior A hockey with and against players up to 21 years old. From there he takes us to his stint with the Tri-Cities Americans, being drafted by the Canadiens, his years playing in the AHL in Fredericton under coach Michel Therrien, his trade demand, which he calls “one of the most ridiculous decisions I’ve ever made”, and various stops with other clubs in progressively lower circuits: the ECHL, then senior hockey.

One frustrating aspect of the book is how the author hop-scotches from one season to another, or from one month to another, for reasons that are hard to discern. It’s not the expected use of foreshadowing and flashback, but rather a disjointed tale where one tangent follows another and lacks a unifying thread. The reader who is used to sports biographies, and is accustomed to the rhythm they normally utilize, will be thrown. Instead of going from one season to the off-season to the next season, with things like stats and awards earned, and progress in different areas and his personal life used to show the arc of his career, the author skips and jumps and backtracks in an incoherent fashion, and leads you to wonder fifty pages further on: “Wait, what happened eventually to that coach (teammate, opponent, season, team, objective set) that he was prattling on about?” Frequently there is no resolution, just other matters raised, which themselves won’t be resolved either.

Another issue, and it’s a big one, is that the material in the book is often awkward, if not downright puerile and inappropriate. Mr. Ryan must be a great guy to have a beer or two at the pub with, he seems full of tales to tell, some no doubt of the ‘tall’ variety. The thing is, he might be a good story-teller in person, maybe he’d be great on the lecture circuit, or as a sports-talk radio host, but in print his stories fall flat, approaching the level of Abraham Simpson’s ‘onion-on-the-belt’ yarns.

One story describes how their rink lost power during an ice-storm, and they had to clear out of the arena in their skates, but found that they could skate in the parking lot, everything having been coated by freezing rain. Mr. Ryan and a couple of teammates did that for a while, got bored and decided to pile into his car and drive around, wouldn’t you know it, with their skates on! So around town they drive, really slow, fishtailing a bit, still in their full gear, until they realize they should probably head back, but stop beforehand at a drive-through to get coffee for the boys. Once they get back, the practice has started again. Boy was the coach ever mad!

And that’s the kind of highjinks that are detailed in the book, ‘you had to be there’ stuff. And, disappointingly, there are a couple of anecdotes that feel like they belong in Penthouse Forum, rather than a book about hockey. I couldn’t help but think about how Jim Bouton in “Ball Four” told a lot of stories about extra-curricular activities between players and groupies and airline hostesses, but always with a suitable reserve, that told you all you need to know without naming names or getting into juvenilia.

The most disappointing part for me is that an anecdote he told during the book tour, about meeting a Canadiens scout in an elevator the night before the draft, isn’t contained in the book. The most crucial stuff I wanted to read, about how the Canadiens scouted him (or didn’t scout him), about the Mr. Magoo who ran the team, about how the actual draft day went for him, is glossed over and I was left with more questions than answers. So we don’t find out more about how that scout talked to him but believed he was Shane Doan the whole time, by reading the book.

I later figured out that it was when answering questions from competent journalists that these issues are raised and discussed, not in his book. They got to the heart of the matter by probing with good questions, instead of letting Mr. Ryan ramble on. And this to me crystallized that what the author would have needed is a good editor. Not a proof-reader, but an actual editor, who would have read his book as a first draft, given him copious notes and constructive criticism, and got him to work on his second draft, with a lot of running commentary, and encouragement to delve into detail here, skip over this stuff there, tie all these loose ends everywhere, etc.

Terry Ryan in his many adventures does end up befriending some big names in the showbiz and hockey world, notably Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, Ron McLean of Hockey Night in Canada, and NHL’er and PEI native Brad Richards. He currently works on the TV show “The Republic of Doyle.” My suspicion is that this book actually didn’t get edited, that it was self-published, and therein lies the great weakness. His friends may have opened doors, helped with the financing of the book, helped him obtain grants, if I am to trust the many ‘arts councils’ who are credited at the beginning of the book.

I’m not saying that Terry Ryan is a dummy. He obtained his B.A. in English literature after his playing career wound down. He’s engaging, and tells his story with candor, even if he’s oblique about the reasons why he ‘busted’, which is the main interest of most who will read this book I would wager.

Why he made a trade demand, after two seasons in the AHL in Fredericton, is unclear. He does talk about friction with his coach Michel Therrien, but spends so much time re-iterating that he does not have any ill-will for him, and wishes him all the best in his current stint as Canadiens head coach, that it turns into a snow-job. Aside from one anecdote about how he’d smoke on the team bus, and another when the coach told him he could make or break him, send him down to the IHL, there is no meat on the bone. And so he does confess repeatedly that his trade demand was unwise, but he doesn’t even enumerate the reasons he felt that way at the time. We’re left wanting much more, like an audience going to see Wolfmother in concert but not getting to hear “The Joker and the Thief”.

Another consideration is that we never read about how he trained during the season and in the off-season. He only mentions fitness twice during the book, once when he mentions that he worked on his cardio a lot before the season, and another when he says that he came into a training camp in the “best shape of my life”. Seeing as all the anecdotes about getting drunk and having beers with teammates are recounted, we get a sense as to the dedication he showed to his career. Terry Ryan must have been a great teammate to have, with the laughs and high-jinks, but it probably came at the expense of his own success as a player.

One final, sad issue which is glossed over is how he started one season as a Canadien but didn’t play much, and got sent back down to the WHL to finish out the season. Startlingly, he explains that he shouldn’t have played that season, since he was concussed when he got sent down. Again though, there is no narrative, no explanation of how and when this happened, and whether he talked to doctors or coaches, all of that is skipped over.

As readers and fans we’re trying to figure out why Mr. Ryan didn’t pan out, and one of the big reasons must have been these concussions that he glosses over. From being fourteen years old and fighting with nearly grown men in Junior A, to playing the role of the guy who won’t back down from anyone, even heavyweights in the WHL, AHL and even the NHL, Terry Ryan prided himself on his toughness, taking on all comers, and giving everything he had.

This is where you wish that the Canadiens had had a player development staff like they currently have with Martin Lapointe and the recently-departed Patrice Brisebois. You wish that the Habs had had a guy who could have taken Terry aside and told him that he shouldn’t waste his time fighting CHL goons, but rather work on his hockey skills, develop his scoring and defensive play. And you hope that that message is going out to the Michael McCarrons and the Brett Lernouts and the Connor Crips, that yeah, you stand up for your teammates, and yeah sometimes you have to drop the gloves, but not against the no-hopers who want to make a reputation at your expense in a nonsensical fight.

While there is a tale to tell, notably his work with disadvantaged Inuit youth, it isn’t done adequately in this memoir, and I can’t recommend this book to anyone. At best, to those completists who will insist on reading the book for themselves, I’ll urge you to read those sections you’re really interested in, and skim or skip altogether those you’re not. You won’t be missing out on anything.

———————————————————————–It’s somewhere between a toothless attack and a vicious homage.–Paul Rudd

I used to struggle to finish books. It took me three or four false starts to get through “A Son of the Circus”. But now usually if it’s not doing it for me I put the book down and reach for another, life’s too short.

I’m reading “Duty” by Robert Gates right now, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to get through it. Usually when you have no problems putting a book down after a couple pages, it’s bad news. Not that the book isn’t any good, just that it’s relatively dense, and I keep having to flip back when he mentions a name and I can’t remember who the guy is and what is job/title is.

Much appreciated! Read on your blog, which contained some helpful hyperlinks – I recommend everyone else do the same.

One tiny thing to add: Jim Bouton did name a couple names… I think that outing Mickey Mantle as the best baller at ‘shooting beaver’ ruffled more than a few Big Apple turkey feathers. You are correct in the main, though, that he tread lightly around people he could’ve dragged down easily.

My summer list always has some baseball on it; sooner or later I’ll get into “The Bad Guys Won” by Jeff Pearlman, who seems to have made debauchery & disgrace his literary oeuvre. Hopefully it’s got more sense than Terry Ryan’s tell-all (or tell-nothing).

Thanks for the review I believe I saw a similar review of this book. One thing though, it wasn’t self-published, it was published by ECW press. Plus you should be able to find the editor of the book or if there is one, because they are usually found on the first few pages.

Thanks for the info, I looked on the inside and there is a person listed as “Editor for the press: Michael Holmes”. Is that our culprit? Not sure if that title refers to someone specific, different from the run-of-the-mill editor.

If Michael Holmes is the guy who was in charge of editing this book, he dropped the ball, it is a rather formless effort.

This “my life as a hockey failure” shouldn’t surprise anyone. The lad was concussed often and a drinker even more often. It’s surprising he can focus enough to complete a paragraph. The insight you were looking for isn’t going to come from a never was. Ryan had a glorious chance and blew it. Habs management had a decent shot at a good to great player and blew it, too, by picking this guy. Just shows you what a crap shoot the draft is.

I thought it might be time for galchenyuk to centre max & Gallagher. that way we don’t have 2 midgets on the same line. dd is our best playmaker but ag is #2 with tons of upside. if that happens, we’re going to have to move one of the other ctrs tho. pleks is not a #1 centre. he’s a bit of a carbonneau type player imo. he’s a shooting ctr & not much of a playmaker. he plays a great 2-way game but he’s also soft. pleks as a checking line centre. if dd is going to be effective, we have to play him with some big wingers like max or bourque.
if ag plays wing this season, he has to play in the top 6. that could be a prob because max, dd, gallagher, bourque & eller s/b top 6. that leaves parenteau to play with pleks. I understand def isn’t his strong suit tho plus he plays soft.
well, we’ll see what happens. i’ll be disappointed if ag plays with pleks again.

Crosby, Toews, Getzlaf, Spezza, MacKinnon, etc etc etc all played at center right away and it didn’t hurt them at all aside from learning their postion at the NHL level.

I’m not suggesting Galchenyuk is the next Crosby, but he is or could have been, an elite level center if he hasn’t been stunted already.

I don’t understand the fear of allowing him to get better before his 30th birthday. If we can put up with DD at center and have some call him “the best we have” then playing Galchenyuk at his natural position should be nothing.

So with McIlroys win today his dad and a couple buddies will cash in a ticket worth $340,000. His dad out the bet in 10 years ago that Rory wins the British open before he turns 26. The odds apparently 500-1

In regards to Rogers and TV access for hockey games. I was speaking to someone in Rogers today and was told that they are aware of the concerns. Come the end of August, they will be making some announcements on how they plan going forward. RDS having 2 (?) years left on their contract with the Habs is an issue, but they are working towards a solution.

Flooding the phone lines might get their attention a little more than the petition.I signed the petition as I’m in calgary and there’s not going to be much out here.We are the most popular team in canada and you can tell by all the hab jerseys you see in the crowds in any rink they play in. Here and the states. Go Habs Go

Apparently the name is derived from the main colours of the OC TRANSPO buses here in Ottawa (Red&Black) which will be playing a much more vital role in transportation to and from the stadium. Ticket holders get free shuttlebuses in and out of the downtown core to designated transfer stations.

They seem to be doing this reincarnation RIGHT. I have never really been a football fan but I am considering a pkg … so the have at least one new fan.

The best answer I can find is this:
“The modern REDBLACKS “R” features two notches, which appear to have been cut with a saw, fused to a circular saw blade background. The blade represents many of the characteristics we hope our players will demonstrate; speed, unstoppable force, precision, balance, strong-as-steel and even dangerous. It also has a relationship to Ottawa’s founding as a lumber industry town.”
______________________________________________________
Although this doesn’t exactly explain it there is another explanation about binary codes and colours that I don’t understand! So I will stick to partial understanding of the name!
I am from Ottawa and I don’t mind the name RedBlacks!
I was at the game and it sure wasn’t a very well played game on the field by both sides but we’ll take the win. IT WAS A BLAST!!
Very well done by the management and owners. I think the RedBlacks are here to stay!
I was an Alouette fan when we had no ball here! maybe it’s because I am a life long Hab Fan or maybe it’s because I work and live in Ottawa and have a very large family here If it wasn’t for those two things Montreal would be my choice of places to live, It is one of the best cities in North America I have ever been to! And I have been to many!
I know I am choosing my city for football but I could never cheer for the local wanna be NHL team!
Habs for life and beyond!!

Just 2 Questions…
Looking for knowledgeable answers – not the usual pull-it-out-of-my-donkey responses I ask for!

1. Is Tom Gilbert a decent player or not? I’ve heard he’s great for the money. And I’ve heard he shouldn’t be in the NHL. What’s the story here?
2. Tim Bozon is on his way to a tournament playing for France’s national team. Wow! Does this mean complete recovery? I hope so. But I’m not a doctor. Or even a veterinarian.

Watch him. He has been on pathetic teams, and held his ground. He isn’t a big physical presence. I look at it this way, Weaver was -9 with FLA in 50 games, +9 in 20 with the habs. In 80 games with FLA, and more TOI minutes, Gilbert was -5. (I know nothing of the relative strength of their opponents, but it’s Florida (who I think helped themselves this off-season, but I said the same thing 3-4 years ago when they brought in Kopecky etc..)

I always thought Gilbert was a really nice all-round defensemen for the Oilers, arguably their best one at times. I was surprised when his career went in the toilet with Minnesota. From what I’ve read, a lot of his decline could be due to injuries. He took a huge hit from Carcillo just before being traded to Minnesota, so I suspect he never fully recovered from it that season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_T2cjRHgb8

The following season, he ended up with pneumonia, even lost some weight and was subsequently bought out at the end of the season.

He is not a physical defensemen, but he does bring an offensive element to his game that Gorges was lacking, and he can eat a lot of minutes against the other team’s top lines. I think he is a really good fit in Montreal, so I hope he can find some chemistry with one of Emelin, Markov, or Beaulieu.

Unless memory fails me (which it often does), isn’t tomorrow the day of the two arbitration hearings? If so, I’m surprised that there’s no buzz about it anywhere, on this site or elsewhere…please enlighten me someone.

Galchenyuk knowing he will be playing wing this coming season again should really work on his shooting, I think maybe consider changing his curve and flex, all his shots are erratic I can’t think of one goal of his that was scored of the rush by firing the puck past the goalie all his points are generated by tic tac toe plays, deflections, wrap arounds or rebounds, he really needs to add shooting the puck to his arsenal before we see him become an effective winger, seguin worked well on wing because he could fire it as good as anyone

Of course, that’s the ‘ask’, neither side may expect their figure to win the day, NHL arbitrators can split the award somewhere in the middle that they feel is justified. Still though, Cody Franson had trouble coming to a deal last season with the Leafs, he may have an inflated sense of his value.

I’m satisfied with the cost-effective players we signed on July 1, Tom Gilbert at $2.8M and Mike Weaver at $1.75M, on short-term deals, and as we wait for the Bulldog righties to be ready.

———————————————————————–It’s somewhere between a toothless attack and a vicious homage.–Paul Rudd

Yes but road construction is a big part of the Leafs off season, so they tend to be worth their weight in gold. It matters not, like Manna from the heavens, NBC and Rogers are spewing cash out of their Ivory Towers to the owners. It is limitless……

Most of what I have read claims that Gorges was moved due to his contract being too high and the Habs needing to free up cap space. If they had a good idea that Franson would cost as much or more than Gorges, then moving Gorges may not have been primarily motivated by his contract. The caveat in this may be the remaining term in Gorges contract rather than the annual cap hit. Franzen may not have signed a big 4 year (or longer) deal in Montreal leaving more flexibility to promote prospects if / when they prove ready to be full time NHLers. Picking up Gilbert shows the Habs are not convinced that the prospects are ready to step into big full time roles yet (and that they feel the need to have a certain level of D with significant NHL experience).

Possible, but there is a huge amount of inventory constantly being made available to secondary markets from the Mfg’s. Many are open box returns, many blackberry and iphones go through a customer of mines warehouse for resale and none are stolen. They are like new and sell for very competitive prices.

But no doubt there is much stolen product being sold through the internet daily.

Back in the day the American Revolutionaries were just warts on a Rhino’s ass. When Fortran and Cobol were big Microsoft was just a wart on a Rhino’s ass too. Good thing they took franco’s advice. *sarcasm*

Rogers made it’s $5.2M deal with the NHL for national rights to games in Canada. I don’t think the NHL required or, from what I have read, asked for the Canadien’s input to close that deal. I believe the Canadiens themselves can only make regional deals like the one with RDS (which I assume was subject to league approval).

In general, I believe the NHL has minimized the input or influence of the Montreal Canadiens since they seem to place more priority on longevity of the ownership group and less on the longevity of the actual franchise. They may pay lip service to the history of the Habs, but when actual league decisions are made, Montreal seems to have less to say about it than most teams (or more accurately than most ownerships).

One conclusion that jumps out is the contract that Tavares is signed to. Likely the best value in the league. On the open market the guy would be worth $10 million annually. He’s signed for half that, long term.

Chucky will get rolling. Of all the players, 21 and under in our organization, he has the most upside. If we want to maximize Chucky’s offense, we need to put him with an offensive catalyst. It will be interesting to see where everyone lines up in camp.

Do some remember the NHL lock out. Do you remember the anger, the threats from fans, ‘never to support the NHL and players again’.

The reality of sports (NHL) is this, when you purchase merchandise, with the Montreal logo on it, you are actually give 1/30th of your money to Boston and the other 29 teams.

So all profits are spread around at the end of the season.

When the media rights were sold to NBC for 5.2 billion dollars and the dividing up of how NHL hockey was going to broadcast, twittered, streamed by the parties that were part of the deal.

They sat down years ago and figured how they would distribute all of this for maximum profit, afterall, the money is spend in order to make much more money in return.

So to begin with Montreal Canadiens entertainment gets 21 million dollars per year over the next 5 years. The players get roughly half according to revenue sharing, so the cap goes up.

To make maximum profits from people who will eventually pay, because they cannot live without watching 82 games every year.

A little noise is to be expected, but the game is growing every year as well as new 7,8,9 year old fans discover the games and the parents buy the merchandise for them and pay the cable, smart phones to keep them happy.

Each year new fans are created across the NHL and all owners will benefit as they all take a cut.

So try to remember billions of dollars were spent for the rights, so they will divide the pie up as much as they can to maximize return for years to come.

I think the Plekanec/Desharnais debate will take care of itself when Galchenyuk starts performing. Subban worked his way up, Pacioretty worked his way up. Plekanec also took away the no.1 spot from Koivu. Chucky will have to do the same. Steal the spot. Make it so obvious that MB has no choice but to ship one out. Right now, we wait till we see Chucky break-out. I say he puts up 50+ points this season. 15 G and 35 A at least.

Everybody is focused on moving Chucky to center when the focus should be to get him scoring first. Everyone says the Habs need a scoring winger. They have one already in Chucky. He is “hands-down” the most offensively gifted player on the team. There is plenty of time for him to move to center. The Habs need to unleash his scoring ability first before placing the extra responsibilities of being a center.

Agree CJ! Canada”s other National Sport. My son played Box Lax. Season started right after Hockey finished and they pulled the ice out of the arenas. I Love both Box and Field Lax. Hey, how about Tom Watson? 64 years old and made the cut at the British Open! Saludos!

Next year Tom says good bye to the British Open at St. Andrews, what a man and what a player. I so wish Tom could have pulled off the win in 09 at the Open. Would have been perhaps one of the greatest sporting feats in history. 1 shot away from being a 59 year old Major winner.

The kids loved the Box Lax down here in Kingston. At the development camp in the summer there would be pro players from the Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks coming in to help. Great guys. The scholarship money was in the Field Lax though and a few kids played both.

Volunteer bases for lacrosse are a bit stretched once you get outside lower mainland in Vancouver and Toronto and burbs. ( so unfortunately where there is lacrosse, both men’s forms do not get the nurturing needed for sustainable growth).

In Saskatchewan in the late 80’s early 90’s our provincial membership went from 80 members to 2000, driven by “teen-twenty” something / player/ coach/ facilities/ organizer types/ intra-lacrosse volunteers// that reach burn-out level often before the next generation takes over, ,

We had a player from a great lacrosse family, that played for the nighthawks, Casey Zapf, whom was a builder in his own right. Casey was a field player that transitioned to box well. There-in lies the cross-over I think, Casey grew up playing both hands, many box players are one handed players.

Nonetheless, thank you to CJ and to you Frontenac for sharing lacrosse this Sunday.

I didn’t have the opportunity to play organized lacrosse growing up, but we played with my father on our property as kids. My dad was a very accomplished player, who was part of the junior team who won a national championship when he was a bantam. I just love the sport. I hope both my boys play, but that depends on their interest. I also agree with the comment re the fastest game on two feet.

Regarding the golf, I agree with those comments re Tom Watson. I thought he had that championship, and it would have been a victory for the ages. On an aside, the big winner today, aside from Rory, will be Fowler who will get one step closer to a major, taking in the pressure of the final pairing.

Sorry, failed to note, some of the best fights I ever saw, or was ever in was during the course of a lacrosse game. My friends and I used to beat each other mercifully then laugh afterwards. I guess it’s reflective of the age and area where I grew up, but we fought constantly. We fought on the golf course. Yes, the golf course. I remember arguing over rulings and getting into it with buddies. We went to school together during the week (we had split classes, so I was in a room with older kids), went to church and youth group and swim camp through the church, and fought all along the way.

I guess the attraction to hockey and lacrosse has been tatooed into the fabric of my being since I was old enough to walk.

That is some good humour. Golf course never fought there, yet we did have kick boxing rings set-up in backyards complete with a digest of the current fighters that would enter into our realm of scraps.

Lacrosse here is not so prevalent, so access for my boys is limited to catch in the back yard and beach.

Thanks for sharing CJ, lacrosse players from your dad’s generation were tough and often times quite intellectual. Psycho tough, cheers to you and your dad, and the 3rd world crown for Canada.

Has there been any update on the Canadiens and the whole televised games debacle? I’m in Northern Ontario.. when It comes to RDS I guess I’m screwed. What are my options for the other 60+ games? I know some people will stream games from certain websites etc.. some will get NHL center ice, what do most people who are blacked out from RDS going to do? I’d like to hear from you guys on what your plan is. This whole thing just makes me want to cry Montreal is Canada’s team, the habs have the most fans by far in Canada. How Geoff Molson and the Canadiens sit by and let this happen is beyond me. I’m going to write a heart felt letter Geoff, it might not help but I just want him to know how us Hab fans outside of Quebec feel.

I think all Habs Fans concerned by this should write Geoff, Keith Pelley of Rogers and the CRTC.

As well, your signature on Our #RogersPetition would be appreciated.

Being quiet about it and accepting what they give Us is one option, or letting Our displeasure and rejection be heard will at least provide Us a chance to make them realize this will result in a whole lot of negative PR and lost sales, and may make them reconsider.

With enough vituperation it may force Roger’s, TVA and Bell (RDS/TSN) to negotiate a cross-Canada Habs’ Channel.

____________________________________________________

Petition To Protest Roger’s Blacking Out Of Habs’ Games On RDS West Of Quebec

2.75 per game……that’s what I and millions others use to watch our favourite team. Center Ice is the way to go. Plus you get to watch any other game you want. I’m a hockey fan, I watch the Habs like every other fan, but I like to watch the competition like a hawk, and my boy loves to watch the Pens (so do I, Crosby is a machine). Center Ice!

Regarding Geoff Molson, he’s a business man. He knows where the money is, and I am pretty sure (not 100%) that the more people who sign up for Center Ice the more money that gets spread around the league.

But truthfully, I really love Center Ice, but I also live in the middle of Canada and can watch any game without shutting down the power convertors that run the moisture evaporators.

I’ve done my part, I’ve cancelled my RDS subscription, when they pay to get a National broadcast I’ll sign up again (no I won’t, I think I watched two games on RDS last year), but until then they care about who in Canada? Where does there money come from?

TVA Sports and Scotiabank Team Up to Broadcast 2014/15 Season NHL Games
Wednesday, July 16, 2014

TVA Sports and Scotiabank Team Up to Broadcast 2014/15 Season NHL Games
10:00 EDT Wednesday, July 16, 2014

MONTREAL, QC –(Marketwired – July 16, 2014) – Scotiabank and TVA Sports today announce a partnership to broadcast all French language NHL hockey games for the 2014-15 season, bringing the action to fans across Canada.

“This fall, thanks to deals with the NHL, the QMJHL and the CHL, TVA Sports will be offering fans their best hockey experience ever,″ explained Isabelle Rochefort, Director of Sales and Marketing at TVA Sports. “Scotiabank has developed a number of innovative programs to support hockey in recent years and that is why we are particularly proud to be able to count on such a prestigious and committed national partner. We are very eager to work on new initiatives with them.″

“Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting Canadian hockey — from a professional level to local teams and minor hockey associations,” says Carole Chapdelaine, Scotiabank Senior Vice President for Quebec & Eastern Ontario Region. “We are very excited to partner with TVA Sports to bring the game we all love to communities’ right across our country.”

Through the Scotiabank Community Hockey Sponsorship Program, part of the Scotiabank Bright Future program, the Bank last year supported 920 local minor hockey teams across Quebec. This program supports over 5,000 minor hockey teams across the country.

About TVA Sports
TVA Sports is Quebec’s go-to for hockey as well as the prime francophone channel for all sports enthusiasts. As the official French broadcaster of the National Hockey League (NHL) in Canada for the next 12 years, starting in the 2014-2015 season TVA Sports will be airing more than 275 NHL games, including all the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night games, the playoffs — including the Canadiens games, the Stanley Cup Finals and special events. Over the past few years, TVA has also signed broadcasting deals with a number of prominent sports organizations, including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the Toronto Blue Jays, the Montreal Impact, the CHL, the QMJHL and the Memorial Cup, the UFC, GYM, the Interbox Group, the IndyCar Series, the Champions League, the Europa League, ATP and WTA tennis, the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, Red Bull Crashed Ice, the Red Bull Signature Series and the Dew Tour. Also, as the authorized specialty channel of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, TVA Sports is airing all 64 soccer matches from June 12 to July 13, under a deal signed with CBC/Radio-Canada. Starting this fall, to support its new lineup, TVA Sports will be presenting shows geared towards hockey and some of the other favourite sports among Quebeckers with hosts Louis Jean (Le Premier Trio), Dave Morissette (Dave Morissette en direct) and Sébastien Benoît who has a new 5pm show.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Vancouver Canucks®, Winnipeg Jets®, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Ottawa Senators®, Edmonton Oilers® and the Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Bank also has a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting hockey in Canada from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Across Canadian communities coast to coast, Scotiabank’s Community Hockey Sponsorship Program reaches out to over 5,000 minor hockey teams. To find out more about Scotiabank’s hockey programs, please visit http://www.facebook.com/scotiahockeyclub.

Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada’s most international bank. Through our team of more than 86,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates offer a broad range of products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking to over 21 million customers. With assets of $792 billion (as at April 30, 2014), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York (NYSE: BNS) Exchanges. Scotiabank distributes the Bank’s media releases using Marketwired. For more information please visit http://www.scotiabank.com

Send today, your self addressed stamped envelope with your money order, so I can send you your tickets back!!! (Canadian stamp) Courier is best! especially from USA! I will be cut off from ordering these special HIO game tickets on the 28th day of July.
I must receive your money order by the 28th.
Two different summit section prices! $83ea. or $105ea.

ITINERARY & LOCATIONS
We are staying at the Novotel hotel, discount rates at 866-861-6112 Tell them you are with HIO to get your discount.

We will all meet and greet at Hurley’s pub Friday eve. on Crescent St. Some of us will be having supper there. Big screen for Hab’s at Buffalo game for us on the 2nd floor, and name tags will be given out.

Saturday morning, breakfast is at Chez Cora’s at 8:30am. 1240 Drummond St. You can order a la cart and everyone gets 15% discount off your bill.

After breakfast we walk over to the Bell Center and Hall of Fame Tours.

At 3pm the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation charity raffle at the Baton Rouge restaurant 1050 Mountain St.
Each person is asked to bring one gift item to donate for the charity raffle, so everyone gets a gift to go home with.

Then our Baton Rouge restaurant pre game dinner. With special guests.

After dinner we walk across the street to see the Hab’s take on Gionta, Gorges and the Buffalo Sabers.

After the game the 2nd floor of Hurley’s pub is reserved for us again, to celebrate the win. Just identify yourself as a HIO member.

Please be generous with your charity raffle gifts and your purchase of raffle tickets. It is a way for the HIO community to give back to less fortunate kids.

Enjoy talking hockey and meeting your wonderful HIO community at this years Summit.
Ian

Been gone a while; first things first: all the best to Alex and his loved ones. We are in your corner.

On Brisebois: I think he gets categorized as a ‘practice player’ , whose mad skills and smarts rarely made it onto the ice surface, especially at crunch time. I always got the impression that he felt pain way more than your standard issue hockey player. Might account for his stressed play on the ice, and depression (which I just heard about from Ian)

Just to rile up the MOAR bigger crowd: everyone here seems to give the series to LA if we had (or will) play them. Nu huh! It’s played on the ice, and we present a different series of challenges than the NYR. I’m not saying we WOULD beat them, but I’d like to see it, and would love to see those big buses chasing our Mini Coopers!

EDIT I would rather face LA, STL, SJ, ANA, than face the ‘Hawks. THAT is a complete team.

“I’m not going to apologize for how I acted or what was said,” Lucic said. “But at the end of the day, thinking about it now, maybe I definitely could have handled the situation better than I did. But more than saying what I said to the players, I was upset with losing. I was upset with losing to them. We had such a great team that had won the Presidents’ Trophy and that being the end and losing the way that we did, I think it all just accumulated to me losing my cool in the handshake.”

So he “could have handled the situation better”, and he admits to “losing my cool in the handshake (line).” But he won’t apologoize.

Classic bully behaviour. Classic Bruin thug behaviour. I acted wrongly, but I don’t feel remorse, and will not make amends.

I’m glad he’s sticking to his guns and being a complete a-hole. It makes it so much easier to hate his guts and ensures our team and fans are going to do everything in their power to bury his team. Keep it up I say and why not let Brad the Rat and Donuts Julien weigh in while you’re at it.

Interesting how this is playing out. I recognize how the Avs have basically said Duchesne is our Bobby Clarke, no one else makes more etc. etc., but O’Reilly is a real unique player, big skilled, defensively incredible, no penalties taken.

This guy is a real good player and will be a building block for a franchise somewhere, soon.

You people who never tire of typing out that you can’t win with Desharnais and Plekanec, what was that against Boston? Was that not a win? You know that time when we beat the odds-on Stanley Cup favourites? Doesn’t that count as winning?

The series victory against the Bruins was particularly satisfying. It almost seemed to me that the series pitted good vs bad, with the landscape of the NHL at stake. Montreal was full credit for the win, led by their young core, notably Price and Subban. I could not have been happier!

That said, this was the second round, not the Stanley Cup final. We were only half way towards the ultimate goal. Just goes to show how tough it is to win. What is most concerning was the third round. Sure, losing Price was a major obstacle that impacted the team, despite Tokarski coming in and playing his heart out. But, we lacked a fifth gear when we needed to go to the next level against New York. IMO, we are still a ways away.

That said, who knows what to expect. If the outcome was decided, there would be no point in watching. Can we win, sure – after all, anything is possible. Unlikely, but possible.

Yeah, it’s the headline that’s a little more negative than the article itself, it’s what I reacted to at first. I should remember that he may not have written the headline, the editors of the site may be the culprits.

When I think of teams stuck in neutral this summer, I think of the Leafs, the Bruins who were caught too close to the cap ceiling, the Oilers who are spinning their wheels, talking big about the need to clear out guys like Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner, the diving right back into that pool with a ludicrous contract for Benoit Pouliot.

The Canucks too are kind of in purgatory. They’re locked in because of the big contracts to their veterans, they can’t quite race to the bottom against the Sabres and Islanders, but won’t get in the playoffs either. And they assured themselves of mediocrity by signing a competent veteran goalie in Ryan Miller, who’ll get them those extra four or five wins and OT losses that will murder their draft position.

Compared to those teams the Canadiens did well. They cleared out three underperforming veterans, righted the balance on their defence, signed a European UFA, among other forward-thinking moves.

———————————————————————–It’s somewhere between a toothless attack and a vicious homage.–Paul Rudd

He’s not technically wrong but he’s ignoring the most important role of a GM nowadays: managing the salary cap. The guys that were dumped were not value at their salaries. There is only one reason why Gorges was dealt only for a 2nd rounder…his perceived bad contract amongst GMs. MB did what he had to do to allocate his funds correctly to those who have the most effect on the team’s success (Markov, PK Price, etc.). These moves will allow the Habs to stay competitive and be able to play their younger stars down the road.

He’s not completely wrong. We were always going to transition out of Gio and Gorges at one point. It’s not a bad time to do it. Beaulieu is ready. We’ve got Mike the Dream for one more year. Gilbert slots in as a righty so Yemmy can play his natural side.

A lot hinges on a health core and a step up for Chucky and Lars. A healthy Prust and Playoff Bourque would really turn this team into a real pain for anyone in the East. I give MB a B. He did what he needed to do… Now it’s up to his players.

The Habs brass, along with knowledgeable Habs fans, know this team is not winning a cup with DD and Pleks as our 1-2 – along with the current makeup of our team. We will be competitive and with the right momentum (and match-ups) can make some noise in the playoffs like last year.
Without a stellar CP along with a few posts/crossbars and boneheaded Bruins – we lose that series more often than win.
We are 2 or 3 years away from having a great team. When Larsy turns into Carbo, Gally27 into LaFleur, PK into the greatest ever and Tinordi/Beaulieu into our 2/3 after PK, then we will be ready.

3 years folks. But enjoy some good competitive hockey until we can match up against the powers in the west.

But don’t go thinking after last years playoff run that we guarantee a return. The team had a great run and is still building.

You really think Kopi and his Kings would ever worry about DD and Pleks?

In fairview, go to the sports experts, theres usually a very decent collection of stuff there. If you want jerseys, go downstairs to the hat/jersey store I think is called capsule sportive or something along those lines.
Other than those places, not too much else with quality merch in the WI.

John (HabsGod) Smidt; “Alex is progressing slowly ……. The doctor(s) said his surgery was good and a sucess, they will now be looking at the blood clot in his head, but he’s not out of the woods yet, as he’s still in ICU, but they think he’ll recover”

I would love to see the Habs get ahold of Reilly Smith. But other than an offer sheet, it would seem unlikely that the B’s would trade him to the Habs. The offer sheet is not something any GM’s want to employ either, but I can’t see how the Bruins get Smith and/or Krug signed. If Marc Savard were to announce his retirement, now that would really put the Bruins up a certain creek, wouldn’t it?

“Hi guys Alex had surgery last night at midnight he got out of surgery at 2am he’s in the ICU.

He’s still not out of the woods yet he has a blood clot in his brain that they are monitoring.

I will tell Alex about how very very special HIO is and how all you guys send your love and prayers. I’m going to tell him about how very special Ian Cobb is and what Ian did for him when he awakes! I thank all of u guys so very very much for all the support and love for Alex, myself and my family HIO means the world to me you guys are all very very special and hold a special place in my heart for what you guys did for my little boy! That s why being a Habs fan is the best it’s one big family I love all u guys, thank you everyone for your thoughts prayers, a very very special and heartfelt thank you to Ian Cobb your an amazing man Ian! We are looking so forward to the HIO Summit Alex will be very very thrilled! God speed guys I love all u.

Chicago would take Pleks tomorrow and they are the 2nd best team in the league. Unless the Habs believe Eller and Malhotra can fill in for Pleks’ defensive responsibilities, I can not see him getting traded. Maybe having Chucky play with him and learn the center position is not a bad thing after all.

I think people would still misspell it even if there were a hundred of them. Too set in their spelling ways. The prime example of this is all the people on this site who still write “Sharpe” instead of “Sharp”

This was sent to me in June from the Hab’s.
I deleted name and phone # at the bottom>

Ian Cobb
June 5, 2014 at 6:43 pm

Dear Ian,

On behalf of the Canadiens organization, I would like to thank you for your support throughout this past season.

The commitment and the efforts you have made to gather HIO supporters to the Bell Centre have helped to create an exciting atmosphere during each of the Montreal Canadiens games. We had an exciting season followed by a great playoff run. We hope to maintain that momentum next season.

In mid-July you will receive our official calendar for the 2014-15 season, as well as detailed information concerning group sales and ice rental programs. All details will also be available on our website at http://www.canadiens.com/

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your Hockey Inside Out members an excellent summer and we look forward to seeing you next season.

Until then, please do not hesitate to communicate with us should you have any questions.

Oates does not strike me as a good assistant coach…he took a pretty hard line with many of the Capitals players, and he was not well liked as a result. In some respects, he is a bit too similar to Therrien, and a coaching staff probably shouldn’t feature two guys like that.

I suspect he did not act the same way as a head coach as he did as an assistant coach. I rather see what the Devils players say who went to the Stanley Cup finals with him rather than Capitals players. Good luck Trotz…LOL.

You try and coach a team with Ovie (who is also best buds with the owner).
Tough assignment and not a good indicator of his capabilities
____________________________________________________
“You are not T.J. Oshie. Do not shoot pucks at people without a helmet.”.

Send today, your self addressed stamped envelope with your money order, so I can send you your tickets back!!! (Canadian stamp) Courier is best! especially from USA! I will be cut off from ordering these special HIO game tickets on the 28th day of July.
I must receive your money order by the 28th.
Two seating section prices! $83ea. or $105ea.

ITINERARY & LOCATIONS
We are staying at the Novotel hotel, discount rates at 866-861-6112 Tell them you are with HIO to get your discount.

We will all meet and greet at Hurley’s pub Friday eve. on Crescent St. Some of us will be having supper there. Big screen for Hab’s at Buffalo game for us on the 2nd floor, and name tags will be given out.

Saturday morning, breakfast is at Chez Cora’s at 8:30am. 1240 Drummond St. You can order a la cart and everyone gets 15% discount off your bill.

After breakfast we walk over to the Bell Center and Hall of Fame Tours.

At 3pm the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation charity raffle at the Baton Rouge restaurant 1050 Mountain St.
Each person is asked to bring one gift item to donate for the charity raffle, so everyone gets a gift to go home with.

Then our Baton Rouge restaurant pre game dinner. With special guests.

After dinner we walk across the street to see the Hab’s take on Gionta, Gorges and the Buffalo Sabers.

After the game the 2nd floor of Hurley’s pub is reserved for us again, to celebrate the win. Just identify yourself as a HIO member.

Please be generous with your charity raffle gifts and your purchase of raffle tickets. It is a way for the HIO community to give back to less fortunate kids.

Enjoy talking hockey and meeting your wonderful HIO community at this years Summit.
Ian

Hi CJ,
Just in case Ian is swamped with pkgs and find the pkg I send him confusing..can you help with a reminder.

Pkg from hanstrinifan contaiins 1 money order for two MEMBERS … one pair of 105.00 tkts each for the two self-addressed stamp envelopes included.
Thk YOU!
“Protest Rogers blackout of Habs game…sign at:

I am never confused my friend.
I will put 4 tickets in 1 envelope and a Popsicle in the other! I got it!

You should just see what e-mails I have to answer! The questions are so insane! 52 e-mails since yesterday answering stuff that is on the notice from me. I have posted the information far to many times, and they still ask! Hab Fans! SCAREY!

McIlroy is on , and when he is on, he does nothing but fire off round after round in the 60’s, and leave the rest of the field in the dust. As I write this, he just hit his drive on 18 340 yards on a rope!

You can’t beat that.

He plays golf and wins majors the way Tiger used to do it, ( only with much better driving of the golf ball).

Eagles on 16 and 18 placed an exclamation point beside his name on the leaderboard. He’s playing a different game right now. His driving average this week was over 330 yards going into today. It might have even increased.

These guys actually like DD (they like all small players), but argue he should be traded. Their argument is that the team is mortgaging too much of the team to shelter and develop DD (top-wingers, PP time, no Pk time, and no defensive face-offs).

They point-out that DD is far worse statistically without Pacioretty, but that Pacioretty’s points don’t drop at all without DD. They also point-out that all cup winners in the cap-era have a top 6 that dominate over 200 feet of ice, but DD is weak outside of the offensive zone.

They point-out that DD is a hard-worker and a good player who would be well suited to the 3rd line.

Pleks, statistically, plays some of the toughest minutes in the entire NHL. DD could not handle the 200 foot game and defensive responsibilities Pleks handles.

Essentially, they conclude that the team can’t take the next step with DD in their top 6. Galchenyuk needs to move to center. And, we need to realize that DD does have some market value, probably in a packaged trade. Ennis, who is less established, just signed a much bigger deal with the Sabres.

They conclude that the trade won’t happen because of a lack of local talent on the habs. If Paranteau, on the other-hand, lights it up this year, it may open the door for dealing DD.

They also point out that DD, being very small, gets fouled and pushed off the puck and gets little support from the reffs. Essentially, his ceiling is too low.

We’ve bitten the bullet by letting Gionta go, and traded Gorges (Still hurts), obviously we’re getting serious about becoming a contender, so maybe it’s time to look at the facts and trade DD.

I didn’t take the time to listen to the podcast, but I would agree that we won’t win with DD and Pleks as our 1-2. Pleks is a number 2 on a good team, but is a number 3 on a great team. Further, he’s not going to get better. As Eller, PK and Bourque turned their season around in the playoffs, my memory of Pleks, especially in round three, was disappointing. That said, the fault might be mine. My expectations should be lowered. Pleks is not going to net 70 points. He’s a good regular season performer, and an average post season player. He’s enjoyed good series – most notably in shutting down Crosby and the Penguins. Too often however, he’s unnoticeable.

You trade for futures, not past performances. Pleks will never be worth more. If you could move him, as part of a package for a true number 1 (Eric Stall), than of course it makes the club younger, bigger and better. Of course, that’s a pipe dream. I can’t imagine him waiving his NTC, something he negotiated for.

I can’t buy the logic that Plekanec would only be the #3 centreman on a great NHL team.

If Plekanec had played for the Chicago Blackhawks last season, he easily would have been a better option as the #2 centre than Michal Handzus or Andrew Shaw were.

If Plekanec had played for St. Louis, he would have looked just as good in that #2 slot as Alex Steen, Vladimir Sobotka, Derek Roy or Patrik Berglund.

I think you are being a bit guilty of giving the LA Kings’ centre depth to every NHL powerhouse team. This ignores the fact that the Kings were in fact pretty unique in that regard, with Kopitar/Carter/Stoll/Richards down the middle. The other teams that have elite top-6 centres are Pittsburgh (Crosby/Malkin), Boston (Krejci/Bergeron), Anaheim (Getzlaf/Perry), and perhaps Dallas (Seguin/Spezza).

Plekanec would be the #2 centre on an awful lot of teams in the NHL. You could make an argument that he would fit that role better than Malkin in Pittsburgh even while conceding that Malkin is a far, far superior player offensively.

He would also be the #1 centre, if given more offensive freedom, on a lot of NHL teams. Plekanec finished with 43 points last season, a pretty off-year for him. But it is important to note that Plekanec didn’t see nearly the power play time that he usually has, and most of it came on the second wave. It isn’t a coincidence that the power play went south around January 1st, when Plekanec’s first-wave status was basically eliminated as the team went with Desharnais more and more.

Plekanec is a 50-60 point centre with gusts to 70 points. He plays good defensive hockey. That is a top-6 guy on all but a couple of teams in the NHL.

So far as I’m concerned there are only a few great teams. The rest have at least one glaring deficiency. I don’t think it’s a gust so much as a tornado required to elevate him to 70 points, a barrier he’s crossed once in his career (note, he did have 69 points additionally), five years ago.

Maybe Pleks blows me away and he is a 50-60 point guy next season. IMO, he’s turning into a checking centre, who will begin to see more time on the third line. If Eller could develop some consistency and build on his playoff success, he could develop into our second line centre. Pleks would be a great third liner. Sorry Chris, but any team who has Pleks as their number one is very likely not going to make the playoffs. I could also say that Emelin is a top 2 defenceman on some teams, but that’s an indictment on the team, and not reflective of the player.

Lastly, with very few exceptions, players at 32 (will be 32 in the first month of the season), don’t start to get better. We need to start succession planning. Pleks has two more years remaining on his contract. At 34, are we going to want to sign him to an extension? If the answer is no, we might want to consider our options.

I’m not disagreeing with everything you say. But Chicago is widely trotted out as one of the top 2 or top 3 teams in the NHL, and Plekanec would easily have been an upgrade on Handzus as their second line centre. I would say that he is the equal of Brad Richards, who was just brought in to play that role.

I agree that Plekanec should not be the #1 centre on a team that is going to win the Stanley Cup. I just think it is unrealistic to expect every contender to have a better #2 centre than Plekanec.

As for the 70 point thing, throw Plekanec between Hossa and Sharp and I’ll be you he gets 70 points easily.

Put him on the second line with Patrick Kane, and he still gets 70 points. It is a lot easier to accumulate points as a centre when you have an elite goal-scoring winger or two on your wing. Plekanec showed he could do it when he had that winger in the shape of Alex Kovalev or a poor man’s version of an elite winger in Mike Cammalleri.

You’re probably right. I didn’t see any kind of chemistry with Vanek though. Again, I’m likely going to be proven wrong, but my point is Pleks is going to be more of a defensive specialist than a point producer on the back nine of his career. If he nets 70 points this year, nobody will be more surprised than me.

In any event, I’m hoping he succeeds. If we hope to take a step forward, we need our best players to be our best players, especially in the post season when it matters most.

I will also be in shock if Plekanec gets 70 points this season, but less because of any concerns on his part. Montreal has one winger capable of helping a centre getting to 70 points, Max Pacioretty, and that winger is not on Plekanec’s line.

The number one reason MB says the Habs are still far away is because of the center position situation. I believe they can win with DD but because he is weak defensively, the team has to compensate elsewhere with more depth. This means that the 3rd and 4th lines need to be two 3rd lines. I have no problem playing DD with scoring wingers and sending them out on PPs and offensive zone face-offs.

On a side note, I wish the Habs make a play for O’Reilly. He would instantly give them credibility down the middle and form a good duo with Chucky for years to come. Heck, he would probably become the team captain too.

I stand corrected. I was certain that there was a release indicating he was retired. Of course, he will never play again, but by not officially retiring he protects the Flyers. On an aside, he’s signed for another three years….. Wowzers.

Of course if something happened to Markov, I’d want him to do the same thing to protect the organization, even if it is sneaky. Might this be an unwritten rule, or gentleman’s agreement among the owners? Clearly Pronger will never play again. He can’t jog, ride an exercise bike, skate or even watch a game without discomfort.

Patrice Breisbois has put in some heavy minutes while wearing the CH and has earned the right to do whatever he pleases without it affecting his reputation.

The guy demonstrated an unbelievable amount of courage when he elected to resign with Canadiens after being in Colorado for a short period of time.

You’d think after 15 years of being booed and attacked by the fans and media that he’d never want to play in Montreal again? I guess he only paid attention to the good things and blocked out all the people who made him a scapegoat.

I can personally say that I’ve never joined in a massive chorus of boos at the Forum or the Centre Bell like the ones I routinely witnessed against Briesbois. It was terrible and you could clearly see it was disturbing Briesbois. Ugly point in time back then.

I wish him all the best!

PS, I loved it when Bob Gainey told all the fans that were booing Briesbois in certain sections of the Centre Bell to stay home and that they’re not welcome in the building. The booing ended the next day. What a guy!

There is no question at all that Breisbois got caught sleeping out there from time to time, and once in a while looked really bad, but I think he often took the brunt of fans frustration with the team. It was great to see him come back after Colorado, as the only player left from the “93 cup.

Over 1000 NHL games played, points in 40% of his games as a defense man, and 6th all time in habs d-men for points in a habs uniform, and despite all the booing, still came back to help later. The guy has my full respect and personally I think it is time we started showing some appreciation as fans.

The booing began with the (at the time) BIG contract and coincided with a lot of gaffes, like skating backwards and falling down as the opposing forwards breezed by him. That contract is what did him in (with some fans).
His best season was with the Avs, getting 38 points.
I remember him for being weak around the net and being unable to move anyone who planted themselves, no matter how small. I always thought he would have been a better winger.

Hey Cal. I remember Breezer driving me nuts with his bone head plays and pylon breeze by”s. Then I heard he was battling depression and was on medication and I wasn’t mad at him anymore. Pretty sad actually. I wish him all the best with his family.

I missed your link and just posted that too! so needless to say I agree. Darcy Tucker is a bit of an anomaly for me, probably the only former hab that I truly despise. Always struck me as a true dirty little weasel. Brad Marchand oozes class and respect compared to him.

In a game where the puck changes hands over 500 times, I am not into this puck “possession” stuff. Carrying the puck to center and dumping it in would show positively in this respect. What those numbers do show Gally is taking a beating. I wonder how long before he breaks down, tough as nails or not?

Good morning, Jim.
You might — then again, might not — be interested to know that I am currently working on a system of metrics to add to the collection of statistical evidence that will assist in acquiring a more nuanced understanding of a player’s performance.
It’s a labour of love.
Here are the areas I will be looking at this season:
— The number of times a goaltender drops to his knees multiplied by the length of time he remains in that position divided by the number of goals he allows
— the height, weight and wingspan differential between players taking faceoffs related to degree of success, such that it can be said, for example, a player who weighs five pounds more, is two inches taller and has a three inch advantage from the tip of one outstretched hand to the other is 13.7 per cent more likely to win a faceoff
— the number of posts hit for every 50 shots taken
— the percentage of puck battles won along the boards with regard to the ethnicity of the combatants
— a running total of the number of sticks broken by a player, distinguishing between those that were his and those that were others’.
— ratio between helmet size and assists (category 1), and between jockstrap dimensions and fighting majors (category 2)
— a breakdown of each player’s penalty total, based on where committed (offensive zone, defensive zone, neutral zone, in the stands)
— a graphic display showing the preferred angle of a player’s passes (a lateral pass being zero degrees, a pass straight ahead being 90 degrees, a pass to a player slightly off to the left being 115 degrees, and so on)
— similarly, a visual representation of where a player’s pass is likely to be received by the intended target (eg, tape on stick, in his feet, just behind his skates, off his head)
— total distance covered over the course of a season to acknowledge fans’ applause after being named a star
Further, I will be recommending that the National Hockey League install GPS units in pucks and skates, so accurate data can be obtained on where players are exactlypositioned when the puck crosses the goal line.
Let me make clear what the goal of all this effort is: a unified theory of hockey analysis that will provide a full measure of a player’s worth not open to dispute.
As I always say, the more informed a fan is the more he will enjoy reading the game stats afterwards.

DUEPH would be an apt moniker for these stats in the aggregate (sorry, being a numbers freak, I sometimes slip into jargon).
Alternatively, if DUEPH is more likely to raise eyebrows than awareness, I would suggest christening this new field of study, Mumbo Jumbo.
Edit: DUEPH, not DUEPL. What was I even typing? What a DUEPHus!